Kings Beat Ducks 4-2. Just A Win. Need More Of The Same.

I was excited for about 3 minutes after this victory. I then remembered we play Nashville tomorrow and are still out of the top 8. Tied with San Jose and Calgary with 78 points for the 9 – 11 spot doesn’t interest me. Top 8 does. Pacific division lead does. Dallas lost tonight. Calgary lost tonight.

Fuck Anaheim. They served their purpose, to give us two much needed points. Their team and fan base can now go to hell.

Aggressive and unrelenting effort tonight. Rolling all 4 lines smoothly like a souped Ferrari.
Shooting pucks at Hiller all night. Puck control and winning battles for 60 minutes.
Had Carter sniped that slot shot in the net then that would have been icing on the cake.
Team looks pumped to mug Preds at Staples and got my seats already and
I am ready for trench warfare or whatever it takes to go to 82 points. Quick looks focused and wants
to vacuum up Pred shots–let him go for it.

Holy Shit, Kopitar, the last couple games have been outstanding. You keep this up, I might think about calling you Kopistar….. Que Dutch.

We’ve been scoring 4 goals a game since the trade dead line. Is it a change in structure or are the players, playing? Just for the record, I like Sutter. I think he’s perfect for our team! Take that, bitches! :)

I enjoy watching this team once again. They tested my/our patience early, but have come on strong of late. Keep it rolling, boys!

Justin Williams after the game “When we’re on the bench, not a lot of people from the outside can feel it, but there was a calm on the bench, even when they scored to make it 3-2 and got a late power play. Hiller made a great glove save on Carter. Those things together, they didn’t seem to faze our bench. We just kept plugging along and knew that we were going to close it out”

I think this is a mentality and swagger the team has been missing and has possessed when we see them win consistently as opposed to the deer-in-headlights-which-way-is-my-dick panic we’ve seen so much of this season. I think this is one of the things a guy like Carter helped with. Let’s hope it continues tonight against Neolithic Caveman looking Shea Weber.

Yeah, I saw that too. This is speculation, but sounds like he tipped us off that previously there was a “lack of calm” when the Kings were in that season funk of scoring no goals in the first period and then maybe one goal in the 1/2 half of the 2nd period and trying to play catch up. I think Justin was clueing us in that there is a change of psyche now, which is what the doctor ordered.

Justin Williams in particular, and Doughty also, have been very outspoken (for hockey players talking in public) about the change in atmosphere under Sutter and compared to Murray. More excitement to start games, more confidence in games despite trouble.

Remember though, the team started to turn the attitude around under Stevens, too, and it continued under Sutter despite the goals actually going down at first. Hate to say it, but Murray leaving was the catalyst which produced the reaction that Sutter now enjoys credit for. Could be Sutter, could be the Lombardi locker room rant, could be the players finally taking the “ownership” that Lombardi has been wishing for. Whatever the motivation, let’s hope it is now a core belief and not just a phase.

Could just be winning a few games for a change, allowing the offense to play deeper and finding someone (in the form of King) to do the job Penner was hired for.

I not a fan of Sutter but it appears with the line up changes (trimming some smaller players off the bottom and Carter) the team is finally developing a personality. Now, if only Penner can find himself and emerge for the next sequence of games…

As for the Ducks, their night could be summed with two words: Massive Gaps.

Penner’s skill set seems to have evolved to be an adequate checker with occasional scoring threat. His very good, quick and short passing ability is lost with Lewis finishing and Stoll out high as F3, but since he (Penner) can’t finish either, the speed of Stoll and Lewis bring the puck to the O-zone and then Penner can go to work a little. He is also smart when he gets possession on the defensive boards, at least with not giving it away, but in all his board work seems a little shaky. Still, he is getting shutdown assignments and the Kings are winning, so it can’t be all that bad; maybe he just looks shaky cuz he is getting the toughest matchup to defend.

King has really found a spot with those two guys, surprising and pleasantly so.

Even though Richards hasn’t scored a goal in a long ass time he’s finally returning to early season form. Whatever it is I’m getting stoked on him again. Kopitar has been unleased. I’m not very happy its so late in the season but better late then never.

It would be unbelievably disappointing to see these guys coming to and really the whole team coming on so strong down the tail end to see them not make it in.

If they don’t make it in give DL another shot? I say no get rid of his ass. Have Robataille give the boys the speech about how they didn’t take ownership, enough responsibility, yada yada and now DL has been fired. Maybe it’ll light a Real fire under their asses for next season.

I can’t say enough about King’s play both behind and in front of the net. In some ways he reminds of a big bodied Dave Taylor.

King has made a big difference in Richards’ game. King’s play behind the net and to the right is buying Richards a lot of space on the left. With King kicking puck free to him and Carter finding open lanes Richards is in back to full play making mode. BS (before Sutter) Richards was playing alone, mainly forced to back check to cover the many Penner flubs.

With Penner on the Richards line it seemed like every shift ended in the D zone.

first of all, honda center is the motel 6 of stadiums. no drinking fountains in sight, no smoking patio, and no escalator to the top floor, what the fuck is wrong with this place? but to hear GO KINGS GO louder than any duck call made the trip to anaheim worth it. to see the utter anguish on their fans faces after watching me scream at the top of my lungs at the open-net goal, was in a word: sublime. i thought everyone had a great game, even though i’m pointing this out 2 days later. i can’t wait to return to staples tuesday and thursday!